Editorial: No surprise to strike call

Brief thoughts on some of the events making news from around Franklin County and the North Quabbin area:

Can anyone really say they were surprised to see the nurses union at Baystate Franklin Medical Center deciding to go on strike for 24 hours on Feb. 10? After the hospital declared an impasse in the negotiations, the response was not a matter of whether, but when. The real question is if this one-day walkout is just the beginning of a series of job actions by the nurses — at least until there is a national labor board ruling on whether the impasse was an acceptable call in the good-faith effort with negotiations.

Arms Library calls in a big gun

The community of Shelburne is pretty lucky. It’s not every place that can get the likes of Ken Burns to come help with a fundraising effort to renovate their Arms Library/Pratt Memorial building in Shelburne Falls. Granted, this appearance is just one of several steps being taken to raise the necessary money for the project, but having Burns’ help is a powerful way to show this is a serious, and worthy, effort.

Be a sport and support them

It may not be all that difficult to see that we’ve already turned the page on January, and for people looking forward to spring, we’re getting closer. But the arrival of February also means that the high school winter sports season is headed toward an end. We encourage residents to get out to cheer on their high school teams. It’s usually a good way to stay warm and the athletes appreciate the support.

Getting info on archaeological digs

Deerfield’s Historical Commission’s “archaeological accountability policy,” whereby archaeologists would have to check in and check out with the town when doing a dig on private land, seems reasonable. Part of the process is to supply the town, and therefore the property owners, with a report of their findings. “We just want to know what they are digging so we have some record of our Native American past that was here,” David Driver, a Historical Commission member, said. He’s right. The attempt here is to provide transparency, and we don’t think people should be objecting to that ... providing, of course, that the information is used properly.